Magisterial Inquiry Into 17 Black Underway Following Request By Police

A magisterial inquiry into the mysterious Dubai company 17 Black was launched a few weeks ago, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici confirmed tonight.

Responding to a question in Parliament by Opposition leader Adrian Delia, Bonnici said that the police requested a magisterial inquiry a few weeks ago, before Reuters and The Times of Malta revealed that the company belongs to Tumas Group CEO Yorgen Fenech.

“Malta has a functioning rule of law and effective separation of powers, so I wasn’t informed that an inquiry had been launched,” Bonnici said. “However, after developments on Sunday I contacted the Attorney General, who confirmed that an inquiry was underway.”

The developments in question a Sunday Times of Malta report into how the police have been investigating 17 Black since March after receiving a Financial Analysis Intelligence Unit (FIAU) report and how they requested a magisterial inquiry so as